Up to half of individuals who contract SARS-CoV-2 develop symptoms of
long-COVID approximately three months after initial
infection. These symptoms are highly variable, and the mechanisms inducing them are yet to be understood. We compared plasma
cytokine levels from individuals with
long-COVID to healthy individuals and found that those with
long-COVID had 100% reductions in circulating levels of
Interferon Gamma (IFNγ) and
Interleukin-8 (IL-8). Additionally, we found significant reductions in levels of
IL-6,
IL-2,
IL-17,
IL-13, and
IL-4 in individuals with
long-COVID. We propose immune exhaustion as the driver of
long-COVID, with the complete absence of IFNγ and IL-8preventing the lungs and other organs from healing after acute
infection, and reducing the ability to fight off subsequent
infections, both contributing to the myriad of symptoms suffered by those with
long-COVID.